Strawberries are planted in any of the warm seasons of the year. During spring planting, greenhouses can be used for an earlier harvest. Summer planting requires suitable weather conditions, because the heat can kill young seedlings. Planting strawberries in the fall has its benefits.
The main advantages of the autumn landing
If you missed the spring and summer time in order to place a strawberry garden on your summer cottage, it does not matter. After all, the autumn time is perfect for creating optimal conditions for the adaptation and growth of seedlings.
- Firstly, from the beginning of September to mid-October, there are still good fine days, and there are still no frosts at night. And these are the most suitable conditions for rooting young rosettes.
- Secondly, strawberries planted in September will begin to bear fruit next spring.
- Third, the fall strawberry planting scheme has several options available. Everyone can choose the most profitable way.
- Fourth,the grower is able to grow a good berry crop with less effort.
Outdoor Carpet Planting Technology
The simplest scheme for planting strawberries in open ground for summer residents who cannot spend much time on the site is carpet. Purchased or own seedlings are densely planted on a suitable site in a checkerboard pattern. After wintering, young plants will grow, and after flowering they will begin to produce mustaches. They are not removed, not directed, but allowed to grow freely. This is the essence of the method. It is necessary to let the strawberry garden grow in the allocated area, fill the space between the bushes. Due to the densely overgrown surface near the roots, a special microclimate is formed. Moisture evaporates gradually, that is, the gardener can water less often. Weeds get less opportunity to grow due to densely intertwined shoots. This means you can weed the garden less often. The only drawback that this garden strawberry planting scheme is fraught with is that the berries shrink in a couple of years.
Using the string method
The most suitable time to use this method is from the end of August to the second decade of September. It is better to choose a cloudy rainy day or evening time on a normal day. The row scheme of planting strawberries suggests an arrangement of 20 square meters. m. 120 - 140 seedlings. They are placed in one or two lines. At the same time, the distance between the sockets is left at 15 cm, and between the rows - up to 70 cm. If a two-line method is used,then measure the distance between the lines of 30 cm.
Recommendation: An outdoor strawberry planting scheme will give good results when using sterile garden tools, soil disinfection, and using quality planting material.
For landing, it is recommended to use a cord, then the lines will come out even. The cord is pulled from one to the other peg, which are located on opposite edges of the beds. Next, markup is carried out using a tape measure. In the intended places, small holes are made with a hand spatula or chopper. The depth of the hole should correspond to the size of the roots of the seedlings. Roots should not tuck. Before planting, the hole is well watered, crushed with humus. After that, one seedling is placed in it, covered with soil and squeezed tightly from all sides.
Important! The growing point of the plant should be flush with the ground. If the soil covers the young leaves, the plant will begin to rot and die. If the soil is lower than necessary, then strawberries will freeze over the winter.
How to prepare seedlings for autumn planting
In order for the seedlings to take root well, the following steps must be taken before planting:
- carry out a visual inspection of the entire batch, remove specimens with rotten, damaged or weak roots, sluggish or rotten leaves;
- chosen seedlings cut the roots to a length of 7 cm;
- work should be done in the shade, and seedling boxes should not be kept in the sun so that it does not wither.
Nest method
Seedlings prepared in this way can be planted in the form of nests. In this case, the scheme for planting strawberries in the fall is suitable. That is, for work it is necessary to choose a time with optimal weather conditions no later than the second half of September. To implement the nesting method, you need a large area. The holes are placed on it as follows: in the center they make the main one, and 6 more pieces are dug around it at a distance of 7 cm. One bush is planted in them (less often two). The resulting hexagon will be the basis of the row. It has several more of the same hexagons at a distance of 25 cm. In order to make the next row, about 40 cm recede from the first one.
Vertical breeding technology
Another high-yielding technology that allows you to pick a ripe berry even in heavy, barren soil on the site. However, a specific schema must be used. Planting strawberries in August - September will serve as the basis for a strong he althy plantation during spring awakening. To organize a vertical ridge, you will need special equipment. This can be a homemade pyramid, factory tiered pots, heavy bags, or any suitable container. They are located near the walls, lining up in several tiers. If the soil on the site is poor, use imported or purchased fertile soil. They are filled with containers and planted onseveral plants at a distance of 7 cm from each other. In winter, containers can be placed in a heated greenhouse. If this is not possible, then the tiers are dismantled. All containers are placed on the ground and covered for the winter with foliage, peat or agrofiber. In the spring, vertical structures are opened and reassembled. It will be necessary to water the berry regularly, preferably with warm water. It will also be necessary to apply liquid fertilizers, weed beds and remove mustaches.
Scheme of planting strawberries under agrofibre
Gardeners have long appreciated the benefits of agrofibre. Technologies with its use make it possible to greatly simplify the process of growing plants. During the autumn planting of strawberries according to any of the proposed schemes, the site is covered with agrofiber for the winter. In the spring, it is not removed immediately after the snow melts, but they wait until warm weather sets in and there are no frosts at night. During this time, well-rooted seedlings since autumn will wake up and begin to grow in the conditions of the microclimate created by the covering material. If you use small greenhouses in the form of tunnels, then the result will improve even more.
Which varieties are suitable for autumn cultivation?
Often, summer residents believe in bright advertisements for super varieties of strawberries (very sweet, juicy, large, fruitful, etc.) and buy expensive varietal material that dies at home and does not give the promised results. The fact is that most often it is intended for industrial cultivation. It requires special conditions, constant temperature and humidity. It includes,e.g. Gigantella, Albion, Queen Elizabeth 2.
For the conditions of an ordinary garden, it is better to choose proven varieties that are able to withstand the proposed temperature regime, are resistant to common diseases and have excellent taste. Among the early ones, Zarya, Yulia, Olvia, Hanni proved themselves. Mid-season - strawberry Lord. The planting scheme can be lowercase on the ridges, it also grows well in hydroponics. The varieties Slonenok and Festivalnaya are also recommended. The whole summer you can harvest from remontant varieties - Vima Rina or Albion.
Any proposed strawberry planting scheme is effective, judging by the reviews of gardeners. The pros and cons of each technique are obvious, so it is easy to choose the most suitable one. However, one should not hope that large yields will depend only on the correct planting according to a certain method. A juicy and ripe berry will grow with good care.
